Aki Tomoya's body shook uncontrollably as he faced Izumi Yuu. His mind was a whirl of anger, confusion, and despair. His legs felt as though they might give way at any moment.
It shouldn't be like this!
Eriri is my childhood friend!
Why was she siding with Izumi Yuu and blaming me?!
Tomoya's heart pounded in his chest, the overwhelming emotions threatening to tear him apart. He couldn't understand it.
He had invited Eriri to join his club. She had been hesitant at first, but in the end, she had joined and thrown herself into the club's work. She had worked so hard, contributed so much—yet now, here she was, standing against him and defending Izumi Yuu.
This couldn't be right. It made no sense.
"Huh?! What are you talking about, Tomoya?!" Eriri exclaimed, her voice filled with confusion as she looked at him. "Izumi-sensei didn't deceive me at all. On the contrary, he's helped me clear up so many things I've been unsure about. He's been a great help to me!"
Tomoya froze as Eriri's words hit him. She had been defending Izumi Yuu ever since this whole mess started. It was as though she had changed overnight, suddenly seeing Izumi Yuu in a completely different light. Meanwhile, Tomoya could feel a growing hostility in his chest whenever Izumi's name came up, something he couldn't explain.
Eriri noticed this, too. Lately, every time Tomoya was faced with anything related to Izumi Yuu, he seemed to lose his composure completely. His behavior was erratic, as if he had some kind of deep-rooted grudge. On the other hand, Izumi Yuu seemed nothing but patient, his responses calm and generous. It made Eriri respect him even more.
"What do you want me to do?!" Tomoya suddenly shouted in frustration, nearly losing his cool. "I know this guy has some ulterior motive! He's deliberately gotten close to you and Eririi! Please, can't you see that?"
Tomoya's jealousy surged at Eriri words, and for the first time, he realized how truly disturbed he was by Izumi Yuu. It wasn't just anger anymore; it was something deeper, something dangerous.
He didn't even understand why he felt this way. All he knew was that when he looked at Izumi Yuu, it felt like there was a threat looming—something he couldn't shake, something he couldn't trust.
[Look at him. See how pathetic he is, shaking and on the verge of collapse. This is the perfect moment. If you back off just a little, you'll make them feel sorry for you. Sympathy is a powerful weapon—use it. As long as you let them think you've given up, they'll begin to doubt the other guy. They'll pity you, and at that moment, you can make your move. The night will come soon enough, and once you have their trust, you can use it. You can sneak in...]
Izumi Yuu's lips twitched in disbelief as the voice echoed in his head.
What the hell? Why is this narration so... off?
Despite the bizarre and unsettling suggestion, there was a part of him that recognized a twisted logic in it. It wasn't entirely out of line with what he had in mind. But he quickly shook it off, focusing instead on the situation before him.
"I'm sorry, it seems Tomoya still has some deep misunderstandings and prejudices against me. I don't want to cause any more trouble," Izumi Yuu said, his voice heavy with a sense of defeat.
"Huh?! Mr. Izumi, please don't be so anxious," Eriri exclaimed, her voice tinged with concern as she quickly turned her attention to Izumi Yu. "It's alright, you don't have to worry so much."
She paused for a moment, then her gaze sharpened as she directed a more impatient look at Amaki Tomoya and said."Tomoya, are you done yet?! How many times do I have to tell you?!" Eriri's voice cut through the tense atmosphere as she glared at him. "Izumi-sensei didn't approach me on purpose! I was the one who took the initiative! And you have no evidence! You're just making things up—how can I believe you?!"
Eriri's anger was palpable, her frustration spilling over after Tomoya's repeated accusations. She turned away, her frustration evident as she looked at Sayuri for support.
"You don't need to apologize, You-kun," Sayuri, who had been standing silently by, finally spoke. She glanced at Izumi Yuu, noticing the way he seemed to withdraw into himself, looking almost lost, and her heart ached for him. Turning back to Aki Tomoya, she spoke firmly, her voice tinged with disappointment. "Tomoya-kun, slandering others without any proof is not acceptable. You used to be a little withdrawn, but this behavior... I don't know what's happened to you."
Tomoya's face twisted with disbelief, and his eyes widened as he heard Eriri and Sayuri both defending Izumi Yuu. It hit him harder than he expected.
"What... what?! Mrs. Sawamura... Eriri... why are you both defending him?!" Tomoya stammered, his voice shaking with disbelief. The weight of their words seemed to crush him as he staggered back, despair washing over him. "This guy... he's just a hypocrite!"
Eriri's patience finally snapped. "Because it's you, Tomoya, who's been making trouble for no reason!" she retorted, her voice sharp with anger. "If we're talking about hypocrisy, you're the one who fits that description! You act all gentle and slow, but you're hot and cold with people. You ignore them when it's convenient, but you expect to fix everything later!"
Her words hung in the air, each one a blow to Tomoya's fragile sense of righteousness. As she finished, Eriri felt a weight lift off her chest. The pressure that had been building inside her over the past few days finally found an outlet.
For so long, Eriri had been holding back her frustration from the previous day. She hadn't had a chance to release it, but now, seeing Tomoya's misguided anger toward Izumi Yuu, she felt almost relieved.
Although Eriri's words were harsh, Sayuri, the more composed of the two, couldn't help but agree. "While Eriri might've been a little too blunt, it's true that Tomoya was picking on Yuu-kun for no reason today." She paused, her tone softening slightly as she spoke more like a concerned adult. "Tomoya, you need to take some time to reflect. I'll be informing your parents about this situation. They should help you understand what's going on."
Tomoya, overwhelmed and broken, knelt on the floor, his hands shaking as he struggled to support his weight. His despair was palpable. "No... no, it's not like that! I'm telling the truth!" His voice cracked as he tried to maintain some semblance of defiance. The accusations felt like a suffocating weight pressing down on him. He finally collapsed, kneeling in a defeated posture. The fire in his eyes was gone, replaced by an expression of utter hopelessness.
Izumi Yuu looked down at him, his face reflecting an innocent confusion. "Tomoya-san, I'm sorry. I never expected things to turn out like this," he said gently, his voice surprisingly calm in the face of Tomoya's collapse.
"Ha... ha... damn it!" Tomoya's face twisted in frustration at Izumi Yuu's calmness. He slammed his hands into the ground, the sound reverberating in the room as he vented his anguish. He was trapped in his own turmoil, unable to comprehend how things had spiraled so far out of his control. It took a full half-minute before he finally managed to lift himself off the floor, his body sore and his face etched with bitterness.
Despite the pain, the worst part was that he couldn't understand why things had turned out like this. Eriri, his childhood friend, should have been on his side. But now, she had completely sided with Izumi Yuu. The blow was crushing. He couldn't make sense of it. He turned away in a daze, leaving the Sawamura house without even a word of goodbye.
Eriri, now watching Tomoya's retreating figure, let out a frustrated sigh. "This isn't on you, Mr. Izumi. You don't have anything to apologize for," she said, the frustration still evident in her voice. "It's Tomoya who's the problem. He's the one who slandered you. He should be the one apologizing, not you."
Her mood had been completely ruined by Tomoya's sudden visit and his baseless accusations. The day had been going so well before he showed up, but now, the peaceful atmosphere had been shattered by his irrational behavior.
Sayuri, ever the calm presence, tried to soothe Izumi Yuu. "Yuu-kun, don't let it get to you. Tomoya-kun wasn't like this before. I'm not sure what changed in him over the years."
Izumi Yuu, still bewildered by Tomoya's hostility, nodded, his expression filled with a quiet innocence. "I don't understand either. I haven't done anything to hurt him. It just doesn't make sense."
Sayuri smiled gently, her tone reassuring. "It's not your fault, Yuu-kun. Tomoya-kun is the one who needs to reflect on his actions."
Izumi Yuu's gratitude was apparent as he smiled at Sayuri. "Thank you, Mrs. Sawamura. It's a relief to hear you say that."
Eriri, however, wasn't about to let Izumi Yuu off the hook so easily. "Hmph! I've been defending you this whole time, you know," she grumbled, her arms crossed. "You should thank me too, not just her."
Izumi Yuu grinned at her teasingly. "Thank you very much, Ms. Kashiwagi. If it weren't for your support, I don't know what I would've done."
Eriri flushed slightly at the acknowledgment, turning her head away in a typical tsundere fashion. "I'm not doing it for you! I'm just fed up with Tomoya's nonsense!"
Izumi Yuu chuckled, his smile lighthearted as he watched her reactions. "I understand. Thank you, though."
Sayuri, who had been observing the exchange, smiled warmly. "Eriri might be a little tough on the outside, but she has a kind heart. You'll get used to it, Yuu-kun."
Izumi Yuu gave her a knowing smile. "I know, Ms. Kashiwagi. She's tough on the outside but soft on the inside."
"Huh?! What are you saying, mom?!" Eriri flushed bright red at Izumi Yuu's words. "You don't even know me well enough to say stuff like that!"
Izumi Yuu's grin widened. "Well, maybe I should find out more about Ms. Kashiwagi's elementary school days. That could be fun."
Eriri's face turned even redder, and she stammered, "W-What are you saying?! Stop making me embarrassed!"
[Looking at the shy and charming girl in front of you, you know that the day when you can go deep into the girl's elementary school and test her elementary school knowledge is not far away. Even if you can find a way to get rid of this troublesome young woman beside you, you will have the opportunity to have an in-depth exchange with the girl tonight and make her fall completely in love with you…]
Huh?! Get rid of Sayuri?!
Hearing scumbag narration, Izumi You couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth slightly.
The good news is that this guy finally stopped being obsessed with that broken mother and daughter.
The bad news? This guy's started to want to kill people himself. Could things get any worse?
But wait... there's also good news. Eriri seems to like me more.
Izumi Yuu glanced at the girl beside him, and sure enough, her pink cheeks were more delicate than ever.
[Name: Eriri Sawamura.]
[Favorability: 65 (A secret admirer who is willing to have further contact with you)]
What exactly does "further contact" mean?
Izumi Yuu couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
---
After some light teasing between Eriri and Izumi Yu, the awkward tension that Aki Tomoya had caused was finally starting to lift.
"By the way, Yu-kun, do you want to have dinner with me tonight?" Sayuri glanced at Izumi Yu, her eyes shining with hope. "My husband isn't home tonight, so it's a bit too lonely for Eriri and me. It'd be much livelier with you here."
[Dinner together, husband not at home, lonely young woman and a hot daughter. These keywords trigger your inner thief. Lonely young woman, hot young girl... You're already planning how to enjoy this mother-daughter meal tonight. Maybe you'll even take the opportunity to let the woman replenish your... energy with oysters, pork kidneys, leeks...]
Wait, I don't need supplements!
Am I really the kind of person who freeloads like that?
Izumi Yu quickly snapped himself out of the narrator's dark musings.
"I'm sorry, I have to go back to cook for my sister later, so it's not very convenient." He said with an apologetic smile. "Thank you for your kindness, Mrs. Sayuri."
---
No way I'm making the same mistake as last night with Sagiri-chan. If I don't go back now, it'll be a done deal—I'll be stuck with her as a sworn brother for life. And I'll never hear Sagiri-chan calling me 'dad.'
"It's okay! It's just a matter of adding a set of dishes and chopsticks. Why not bring your sister along? I would love to interact with more young girls!" Sayuri smiled sweetly. "I've never seen your sister. I always thought you were living alone."
Izumi You hesitated for a moment before replying.
"Thank you very much for your kindness, but my sister has been fragile since the death of our parents. She's suffered some emotional trauma and has locked herself in her room. She doesn't even meet visitors anymore." He spoke softly.
---
Huh?! What a motherly reaction!
Hearing his words, Sayuri's face immediately filled with sympathy.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't know this happened to you both! My heart goes out to you," she said, her voice full of self-blame.
Eriri, too, looked at Izumi You with pity. "No wonder I never saw you with anyone from your family."
It's clear now—Izumi Yuu had a sad past, and that thought brought out Eriri's maternal instincts.
[The mother-daughter duo is practically swimming in sympathy for you now. You could play the pity card, maybe even ask them to call you 'husband' and 'dad' to experience the warmth of a real family.]
Izumi Yuu suppressed a groan.
Not this again...
He quickly shut down the inner dialogue that was getting out of hand.
"It's okay. It's all in the past now," he said with a soft shake of his head.
---
Izumi Yuu didn't feel much grief for the loss of his parents. Since traveling through time, it had only been Izumi Sagiri who mattered to him. Taking care of her was the last meaningful thing he could do for them.
But as for other things... well, those weren't up for discussion.
"It's truly impressive, Yu-kun. You carry such a heavy burden at such a young age. You manage your studies, take care of your sister, and even bear the responsibility of being the head of the family," Sayuri continued with admiration.
---
Such a weighty burden... so much harder than Tomoya Aki's pettiness.
Her gaze drifted toward Eriri, whose thoughts were clearly tangled up in her admiration for Tomoya.
---
As an outsider, Sayuri could see that Eriri had feelings for Aki, whether Eriri realized it or not. She worked tirelessly for him, setting aside her own creative projects, all without asking for anything in return.
---
A little sacrifice for someone who has no feelings for you? That's dedication... Izumi Yuu thought. His gaze shifted to Eriri, whose admiration for him seemed to grow with every word.
Eriri, always proud of her artistic abilities, couldn't help but express her admiration.
"Actually, it's not as grand as Mrs. Sayuri and Ms. Kashiwagi make it sound. I just did what anyone would do." Izumi You waved it off humbly.
"Huh?! Taking care of your sister alone, maintaining a top grade, and creating a masterpiece novel—how is that a small thing?!" Eriri's eyes widened, incredulous.
Izumi Yuu just shrugged nonchalantly.
---
It would be no contest if I decided to go all out... getting first place in school is practically a given. The only real competition would be the Student Union President, but even then...
"Ugh! You're impossible to argue with!" Eriri crossed her arms, annoyed at the feeling of being outclassed for the first time.
---
"Puchi~! You two have fun chatting. I have some things to do," Sayuri said with a soft chuckle before standing up and excusing herself.